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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
David Irvine

'Then and now' - John Hartson in Brendan Rodgers U-turn after Celtic return

When Brendan Rodgers left Celtic for Leicester, John Hartson felt he was "made a fool".

The former Celtic striker blasted Rodgers for the untimely departure to the Premier League as he insisted "[he] let a lot of people down".

Hartson wasn't the only Celtic supporter or pundit to take aim at Rodgers over his exit from Parkhead - but he has now performed a U-turn on his comments.

Speaking when Rodgers first left Celtic for Leicester in 2019, Hartson said: “Brendan let a lot of people down. And I feel that I am one of them. He sucked me in. He sucked a lot of people in.

"He made a fool of me. Here I am telling every man and his dog that Brendan is loving his life in Glasgow, that he is loving Celtic and he wants to stay for ten.

"I know Brendan. I got to know him years ago at Swansea, so it’s not just a new relationship for me. But he had the wool over my eyes. So I am looking forward to bumping into him at Leicester.”

But Hartson has now revealed he has moved on from his disappointment over Rodgers' departure four years ago.

And it appears he will give his backing to Rodgers again this time round as he stated: "...that was then and this is now".

Burying his grudge over Rodgers' Leicester switch, Hartson wrote in the Daily Mail: "I think we were all guilty of giving Brendan Rodgers a bit of stick and saying some harsh words when he left Celtic for Leicester City in 2019. I said at the time that it felt like he had pulled the wool over my eyes and that he had let the Celtic family down.

"That was because everyone connected with the club were all so disappointed at losing such a brilliant manager. Some fans will be disgruntled that Brendan is back for a second spell at Celtic Park. But that was then and this is now.

"You are always going to get some supporters who will be disgruntled but it's about moving forward and forgetting the past. Of course some people don't want to forget the past and they can hang on to a grudge."

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